THE CAUCUS; Ale For the Chief: Demand Grows for a Beer Recipe

By REBECCA BERG

Published: August 23, 2012

A petition has been started on the White House Web site asking that the recipe for the home-brewed White House Honey Ale be released to the public. More than 3,000 people have signed up so far, but that's still short of the 25,000 signatures required by Sept. 17 to receive an official response.">

Most Americans won't ever drink a beer at the White House, but some beer enthusiasts are hoping they'll soon be able to have a pint that tastes like its brew.A petition has been started on the White House Web site asking that the recipe for the home-brewed White House Honey Ale be released to the public. More than 3,000 people have signed up so far, but that's still short of the 25,000 signatures required by Sept. 17 to receive an official response.

The honey ale is brewed with honey from the White House beehive and is one of three types of beer produced at the White House, in addition to a blonde ale and a honey porter. (According to the blog Obama Foodorama, Sam Kass, the assistant White House chef, says the porter is "unbelievably good.") The first family foots the bill for the brewing equipment and production.

President Obama made history last year as the first president to brew beer in the White House. Since then, the beer has been made mostly in small batches for special occasions (or campaign trips), and the recipe has been kept secret.

Beer enthusiasts have become so committed to obtaining the recipe for the honey ale that one Reddit user plotted this week to get it via a federal Freedom of Information Act request; however, the White House is not subject to the act.

Either way, residents of Alabama and Mississippi will be out of luck: home brewing is illegal in both states.

This is a more complete version of the story than the one that appeared in print.

PHOTO: Mr. Obama, with a pint of Guinness at a Washington pub, is the first president to brew beer in the White House. (POOL PHOTO BY JOSHUA ROBERTS)

A petition has been started on the White House Web site asking that the recipe for the home-brewed White House Honey Ale be released to the public. More than 3,000 people have signed up so far, but that's still short of the 25,000 signatures required by Sept. 17 to receive an official response.">